IK Start 1 Drogheda Utd 0 A goal from their captain, Frederik Stromstad, may give Start a slender advantage going into the second leg in a fortnight, but Drogheda have every reason to feel they can turn this Uefa Cup tie around at Dalymount Park.
Start enjoyed good possession but left the pitch frustrated at their narrow winning margin as Drogheda matched them in every department of play.
"I thought we were absolutely brilliant," said Drogheda manager Paul Doolin. "It's not a moral victory. It was an outstanding performance."
A scare or two apart, Drogheda more than held their own in a tight first half in which Start failed to impose themselves despite having five corners to nil.
Some booing from the home fans as the sides trooped off at the interval endorsed the view that Doolin's 4-5-1 formation appeared spot on with Paul Keegan, Damien Lynch and Stephen Bradley negating Start's midfield three and allowing Shane Robinson and Graham Barrett space and time on the ball on the flanks when Drogheda had possession.
Start's chief weapon was Alex Marcel Valencia down the right flank and the first opening of the match came from his third corner on 23 minutes; Kristoffer Paulsen flashing a header just wide.
Real danger was then averted two minutes later. Dan Connor could only palm away Valencia's low cross and Brian Shelley - who later received a booking for time-wasting that rules him out of the second leg - did well to get a block on Todi Jonsson's follow-up shot. Some dallying by Jason Gavin and Gartland then allowed Jonsson turn and get in a volley that was inches wide of Connor's left-hand post.
If relatively creative going forward, Start looked far from sure of themselves in defence and misjudgment by goalkeeper Rune Nilssen from Robinson's 33rd minute cross saw the ball drop for Keegan beyond the far post, but his first-time shot was wide.
Start had a little more vigour about them from the resumption, though ironically it was Nilssen whose goal came more under threat in the early stages. Keegan drilled in a shot Nilsson had to stretch to save while Kristofer Haestad had to block away a free-kick struck by Simon Webb.
But Drogheda fell behind to a well-taken goal on 67 minutes. Jonsson stepped over a low cross in from the right by Paulsen and Stromstad's right-foot strike had enough pace and accuracy to find the bottom corner of the net.
"Though we lost 1-0 we showed everything they had - quality, physique, fitness and everything tactically," added Doolin. "We were right as a team. We were great. We conceded the only goal, but on another night we might have had three goals.
"Everything about the team was excellent. They carried out the instructions and it was a great performance. We just didn't deserve to lose, that's the bottom line. It was a better performance than Helsinki and it was an injustice that we didn't get something from the game.
"The main thing is we are still alive and we know we can compete with them. The first goal in the second leg will be crucial."
IK START: Nilssen; Paulsen, Pedersen, Engedal, Johnsen; Aarsheim, Stromstad, Haestad (Fevang, 85 mins); Barlin (Nielsen, 20 mins; Borgersen, 85 mins), Jonsson, Valencia.
DROGHEDA UNITED: Connor; Shelley, Gavin, Gartland, Webb; Robinson, Bradley (Whelan, 82 mins), Lynch, Keegan, Barrett (Keddy, 90 mins); Fitzpatrick (Grant, 58 mins).
Referee: Sokol Jareci (Albania).
